In a significant counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, security forces gunned down three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in the Zinpather Keller area on Tuesday. The encounter, which lasted for several hours, comes in the wake of heightened security operations following the brutal Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. One of the terrorists, identified as Shahid, was a local resident. The identity of the remaining two is being verified. Sources indicate the encounter began earlier in the day following intelligence inputs and eventually escalated into a fierce gunfight involving Indian Army and paramilitary forces.
Terror Links and Posters of Shame
The operation took place soon after authorities launched a public campaign against three known Lashkar operatives—Adil Hussain Thoker, Ali Bhai, and Hashim Musa—suspected masterminds of the Pahalgam attack. ‘Terror-Free Kashmir’ posters featuring these Pakistan-backed terrorists were plastered across the region, offering a reward of ₹20 lakh for any actionable information. Thoker, who had infiltrated back into the Valley in 2023 after crossing over to Pakistan in 2018, has already drawn retaliation from the state. On April 25, security forces demolished his house in Bijbehara using controlled explosives, symbolizing India’s zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism.
Operation Sindoor: A Strategic Turning Point
India’s aggressive stance post-Pahalgam has been encapsulated in Operation Sindoor—a series of precise strikes targeting Lashkar, Hizbul, and Jaish camps deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. These strikes triggered a tense four-day military escalation between the two nuclear-armed nations. However, a temporary ceasefire was declared on May 10 following backchannel diplomacy. Despite the pause, India has made it clear that it considers any future terror attack from Pakistani soil as an act of war, and retaliation will be swift and severe.
In his first national address following Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out a new strategic doctrine. He asserted that India will respond to terrorism on its own terms, without succumbing to nuclear blackmail. The message was direct—India will not distinguish between the perpetrators of terror and the states that sponsor them. He called out the Pakistani establishment, citing instances where senior Pakistani army officers publicly honored slain terrorists, reinforcing global concerns about Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism.
Security Landscape Transformed, But Threats Persist
While the airstrikes conducted on May 7 targeted terror infrastructure with surgical precision, Pakistan’s response was heavy shelling and drone attacks that resulted in civilian casualties. India’s air defence neutralized most incoming threats, and counterstrikes inflicted substantial damage on key Pakistani military installations. The situation, though currently de-escalated, remains precarious. Indian armed forces are on high alert and have declared that any further provocation will be met with overwhelming force.
Tuesday’s encounter in Shopian is not an isolated event but a part of a broader recalibration of India’s counterterrorism strategy. With public awareness campaigns, tactical demolitions, and cross-border military precision, India is demonstrating a multidimensional response to terrorism. The killing of three Lashkar operatives is both a tactical win and a message—terrorism will find no safe haven, not in Kashmir, and not across the border.
